


Legends

by MooseGirl00



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Apocalypse, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Inspired by The Walking Dead, Major Original Character(s), Negan Being Negan (Walking Dead), Original Character(s), Past Relationship(s), Relationship Problems, Relationship(s), Walkers (Walking Dead), Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:41:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26653846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MooseGirl00/pseuds/MooseGirl00
Summary: When the world collapses and two sisters wind up on very different paths, will they come together for peace or turn their backs on one another?
Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Original Female Character(s), Negan (Walking Dead)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

"Keep going!" 

The brown haired woman leading the group shouted back, taking a quick glance back at the people scrambling behind her. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears as she was unable to pin point which direction the whistling was coming from in the darkness around them. 

"Rick!" 

She called out as her friend's hands started to slip from their makeshift backboard. She didn't hesitate to join his side, taking his place and gesturing for him to go in front. Her blue eyes shifted over to Maggie who rested on the backboard, looking much worse for wear than she had when they set out. 

The group only got a few more steps before they were blinded by a sudden light, wincing as it spotted their vision. Judy quickly blinked away the black dots, only for her gaze to settle on the men and vehicles surrounding them. She nervously looked to Rick and back at the men in front of her. Judy didn't fail to notice the man kneeled in front of them either. Eugene. 

Judy wondered how he had possibly wound up with them, but quickly pushed the thought off a mustached man stepped through the group. Judy's hands tightened around the backboard, her knuckles turning white. 

"Good. You made it. Welcome to where you're going."

The mustached man stated, carrying an eerie smile on his face as he approached them.

"We'll take your weapons, now."

He stated as he pulled his own gun from the holster at his waist and raised it towards the group, more specifically towards Rick. 

"Let's get er' down and on your knees."

The man ordered as he continued to point his weapon. Judy hesitated but for a moment before turning back to her own group. Her blue eyes wandered each of them, seeing the fear that coated their features. Judy only gave Rick a small nod before they began to set Maggie carefully onto the ground.

"We've got you, Mags."

Judy whispered reassuring to Maggie as she helped her to her feet, only to help her right back onto her knees before the men. The others all fell into line one by one beside each other, everyone's breath visible in front of them. Judy tried to ignore the gravel below digging into her knees, wanting to keep her focus on the group in front of her.

The world seemed to slow down around Judy as she watched the mustached man order a man named Dwight to open the back doors of a van. Not only was Dwight's face something out of a horror movie, but once she saw the people who were being yanked from the van, she wanted to scream.

Judy couldn't help the gasp that slipped past her lips at the sight of her best friend, Daryl, who's face was covered in blood and cuts. Judy bit her lip to keep a sob from coming out as his blue eyes met her own. She wanted to run to him, the fear of losing him in that moment becoming all too much. 

The man before them finally let out a snicker, drawing everyone's attention back to him as he headed towards the RV in the back.

"Alright, we got a full boat! Let's meet the man." 

The man's fist pounding on the door seemed to echo throughout the woods, making everything that much eerie. Judy's blood seemed to run cold as the door creaked open to reveal a man she had once known so long ago.

Negan smiled as he stepped down from the RV with a bat at his side, his eyes immediately looking among the fear-stricken people before him. Judy felt sick to her stomach. There was no way this was the same guy. She had to be hallucinating. The Negan she once knew would never have done something like this.

"Pissing our pants yet? Cause boy, do I have a feelin' we're getting close." 

Judy nearly cringed at the sound of his voice. She couldn't deny it was the same man. Memories of the two of them flashing by her as he slowly approached the end of their line-up. Negan's smile only seemed to grow wider the further he went.

"It's gonna be pee pee pants city here real soon." 

He remarked as he looked over each of them. Judy's eyes followed him until the exact moment his boots came to a halt right in front of her. She held his gaze, her brows furrowed as a look of recognition crossed Negan's face. The man let out an audible scoff as he knelt down, disbelief crossing his features.

"Well, holy shit. You didn't die after all." 

He stated, earning a few gasps from the others in the line up. Judy tensed as his gloved hand reached forward, grabbing a stand of her hair and looking it over.

"The brown almost threw me off." 

Negan admitted, looking her carefully over once more before he stood back up. Judy fought down the urge to vomit, her nerves seemingly shot at the interaction.

\---

Before Judy could even register what was happening, blood had been splattered across her face and clothes. Abraham who had been just to her right was the victim of choice and Judy eye's had struggled to remain focused elsewhere. Her chest shook with each breath, tears silently falling down her reddened cheeks. 

Judy couldn't stop the panic attack coming as it crept up on her, blue eyes quickly searching for Daryl's who was already looking right back at her. Judy didn't fail to see the hurt there as he shook his head and turned away. She couldn't blame him, if it had been someone else and she didn't know the background, she would feel betrayed too.

Before Negan could continue on with another rant, Daryl was on his feet and throwing a fist right into Negan's jaw.

Judy's own commonsense seemed to vanish the moment two men ripped him away from Negan. She bolted to her feet and quickly stood in between the two just as Negan whipped around on them. She held her hands up just as Negan stopped just inches away from her hands.

"Negan, please! Please don't kill him! Take me instead please!" 

She begged, sobbing racking her body as she did. This was the line, she wouldn't let Daryl die. Not after everything they had been through. Negan's once angered face contorted, a smirk crossing his lips. He wiped away the blood on his lip with his thumb, processing the situation in front of him.

What the two didn't notice was the woman who had stepped out of the RV and approached them with haste. 

"Not her, Negan."

Judy's head whipped towards the woman and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. The woman before her looked much different, but the features were still the same. Her older cousin stood before her, alive and well, with a look of uncaring pasted across her face. Nikki was honestly just as surprised to see the younger one, having thought she died at the beginning of all of this, but she couldn't tell her that. Not now. 

"Nikki?"

Judy breathlessly asked, unable to believe what she was seeing. Was she dead? Had Negan killed her instead and this was just some sick afterlife? Abruptly two arms laced Judy's own and ripped her off her feet. 

"Put her in the van." 

Negan simply stated, getting a direct nod in reply. The two men that had hold of Judy swiftly drug her over to the black van and carelessly shoved her inside. 

"Negan, pl-" 

Nikki watched as Simon and Dwight slammed the doors in her face, trapping her inside the van. Nikki was almost worried for the woman, unsure of what Negan's plans for her would be now. She felt nearly just as worried as she looked at Negan, seeing the irritation written across his form.

"Perfect timing, doll, why don't you come here for a minute?" 

Negan asked in that suspicious tone he always had, usually meaning there was something bad about to happen. Nikki unnervingly walked over to him and stood at his side, waiting for instructions. Negan chuckled as he adjusted Lucille to where he was holding the handle out towards Nikki. Her brows furrowed and she looked at the bat curiously before looking back at Negan. 

"Since you felt the need to tell me who not to pick, it's your turn." 

Nikki's blue eyes widened and she looked fearfully at the group who's eyes all seemed to land on her. No way. No fucking way was Negan about to make her do this. Sure she had killed plenty of walkers and some humans that were a threat to them, but never someone who she wasn't sure of. 

"Pick. One."

Negan stated firmly, giving Lucille a little shake in her direction. Nikki let out a deep breath that she didn't realize she was holding and took hold of Lucille. The bat felt strange in her hands, the weight of it surprising her even though she had held it many times before, maybe it was different now because of the chunks of brain that hung off the barbed wire. 

"Good girl. Now, I want you to pick one and make sure you don't stop until they're cold."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Nikki only nodded in reply and turned her full focus on the group. Now with Judy out of the equation, she carefully took in each one of their faces. She skipped over the obvious ones, the young boy, the sick one, the leader, and the weak one. She continued to take deep breaths as she looked over the women and the one who had punched Negan. She thought of him for a moment, but she knew that Negan wouldn't approve of him. 

Finally stopping at the last man, Nikki approached him silently. She could hear the group's breaths quicken and watched as the man's eyes shifted over to the sick woman. Nikki's fingers tightened around Lucille's handle, turning her knuckles white as she prepared herself. She carefully brushed the blonde hair that had fallen into her eyes back with her free hand and shook her head. Knowing Negan was getting impatient, she brought Lucille up over her head.

"I'm sorry." 

She whispered before bringing the bat down harshly with a loud crack. Nikki seemed to black out the rest as she continued to bring the bat down. She couldn't hear anything but the loud ringing in her ears as she smeared him into the gravel below, staining it a sickly bright red. 

Nikki only seemed to come back to when it was all said and done, now standing to the side as Negan brought Rick back to the group. She noticed her hands were shaking at her sides and she quickly put them into fists before anyone could see. Negan had never asked her to kill anyone for him with Lucille before and it had her shaken up. Was the man she had fallen for overtime turning into something she would be afraid of? Her head snapped up straight as Negan approached her with a smile, having made his point with the group. She only then realized it was daylight now, making the scene around them even worse. 

"Time to go, sweetheart." 

He said casually as he gestured towards the jeep with his head. Nikki hesitated as she heard the back of the van doors opening. Looking over, she saw Simon violently shove Judy out of the van and watched as Judy's eyes landed on the man Nikki had killed. Judy loudly sobbed as she straightened herself up into a kneeled position. Nikki continued to watch as Dwight picked up the redneck man from before and headed towards the van. 

Judy only seemed to sob louder at this, something Nikki didn't fail to notice. Not able to stand the sight anymore, Nikki turned on her heel and headed towards the jeep. She may be wickedly mad at Negan, but she wasn't about to disobey him right now.

Judy watched through her tears as Daryl was shoved into the van. She could only continue to watch as the Saviors left, finally leaving the Alexandrians to themselves. When it occurred to her that it was now somewhat safe, she looked over to Rick who was crawling to Maggie's side. Judy quickly did the same, wanting to make sure that her friend was okay. Upon her approach though, Maggie shot forward and threw her hands around Judy's neck. The two fell back into the pavement and Maggie screamed as she sat on top of her and squeezed.

"You knew! You knew who Negan was!" 

Judy kicked the gravel and clawed at her hands in attempt to free herself. For someone who was unwell, she sure had a lot of strength. Thankfully, Aaron rushed forward and yanked her away, allowing Judy to get a gasp of air in. Maggie turned into Aaron's chest and continued to sob, obviously heartbroken over the night's event. Rick assisted Judy in sitting up, his eyes checking over her neck for a brief second. 

"I-I thought he had died a long time ago... I-I thought these people were just sick minded." 

Judy admitted. Rick shook his head silently and helped her to her feet, resting a reassuring hand on her back. 

"We need to continue on." 

Rick stated, glancing around at who was left. Maggie shook her head no as she pulled away from Aaron and stumbled over to Glenn's body. 

"It's probably best if you guys go home. I'll take her the rest of the way." 

Sasha said, gesturing towards Maggie. Rick seemed unsure as he looked at them both, but in the end he nodded and gave in. In shock and in a sort of daze, Judy back headed towards their blood stained RV. This wasn't over. This was far from it. This was only the beginning and Judy could tell that she hadn't seen the last of her sister and Negan.


	2. Chapter 2

"Nikki." 

Nikki groaned at the sound of her name, disrupting her peaceful sleep. She felt around the bed for her spare pillow, locating it behind her. She quickly brought it up over her head in an attempt to ignore the other person in the room. 

"Nikki, wake up." 

Abruptly the pillow was ripped away from her grasp, causing a audible gasp from the woman. Nikki's eyes struggled to adjust to the dark room around her, only able to see the shadows around her. She noticed the light filtering in through the bottom of her door and she let out a soft sigh. At least she was home... Nikki sat up in the bed and faced the figure standing beside her bed. 

"About time you woke up." 

The familiar voice stated, causing Nikki's brows to furrow deeply. She knew that voice and she knew it all too well. 

"Judy, what the fuck are you doing here!? It's not safe for you!" 

Nikki whispered as she shot up from the bed. The figure took a step back and allowed her to stand. Judy's chuckle filtered through the air and Nikki watched as she shifted foot to foot and removed her hands from her pockets. Nikki's heart thumped harshly in her chest, her anxiety getting the best of her. She wondered how Judy had even made it past the guards and how she had even found her room. 

"I needed to talk to you." 

Judy admitted which only seemed to confuse Nikki more.

"Here? You needed to talk to me here!?" 

Nikki questioned as she gestured around the room with her hands. By the silence, Nikki could tell Judy had rolled her eyes. Nikki let out a loud huff and stomped over to the door, taking a moment to find the light switch. Flicking it on, Nikki turned back to Judy only to freeze. 

Judy stood there still facing the bed for a moment, staring at the wall. Nikki's widened eyes looked over the woman, noticing the blood and mud that caked her clothes. Judy raised a hand as her eyes fell, tucking a lose strand of hair behind her ear. Turning towards Nikki, Nikki tensed. Blood was splattered across Judy's face and Nikki nearly gagged at the deep scratches across her face.

"Help me." 

Nikki jolted as Judy appeared suddenly in front of her and grabbed her arms. With her fingernails digging into Nikki's arms, she spoke once again.

"You promised you would help me."

Nikki awoke with a gasp, sitting up in her bed. Her heart raced and she was visibly sweating through her shirt. Her blue eyes quickly scanned the room around her, only seeing the shadows of her furniture. Nikki brought her shaking hands to her face, rubbing it for a brief moment. 

"Fucking hell..."

The next several hours after the nightmare passed by Nikki in a blur. This morning's nightmare had been one of several ever since the incident. Nikki hadn't hardly been able to sleep since she killed that Alexandrian and she definitely couldn't find it in herself to face Negan. She knew the moment that she saw him he would look at her and smile at her reaction. 

Maybe that's how she wound up to where she was now, standing outside of a cell door. Fat Joey had gone for a break, giving her the perfect opportunity to slip down the isolated halls. The moment she stepped down stairs though, the smell had hit her. The mixture of piss, vomit, and who knows what else made her want to puke and she had to swallow harshly to hold it down. Thankfully Fat Joey had turned off the music on his way out and it led to a relatively silent hall besides pained groans from inside the cells. 

"Daryl?" 

She questioned, her hand finally undoing the latch at the top of the door. She heard movement from the other side of the door and she let out a deep breath. Slowly opening the door as to not blind the man, her eyes instantly went to the man in question. He sat curled up in the corner, looking physically fragile as his eyes narrowed at her. She wasn't sure what he looked like before but he looked like shit now, Nikki was sure of that. The bruises and dirt adorning his skin almost made her feel bad. 

"What do you want?" 

He questioned rather hatefully as he glanced over the woman, not failing to notice the leather jacket that rested on her shoulders oddly like Negan's. Nikki was unsure if his tone of voice was because he didn't expect her or if it was because of what she had done. She let out a slow, steady breath and kneeled down. 

"I'm not suppose to be down here if that's what you're wondering."

Nikki admitted, watching as the man's face contorted to one of confusion. 

"I may not have seen my sister in a very long time, but she-" 

"Get out." 

Nikki recoiled at his firm and sudden command, eyes widening in shock. 

"Are you going to let me-"

"No. Get out." 

Nikki gritted her teeth in anger, her chest tightening. If there was one thing she could not stand it was someone that interrupted her constantly. Daryl shifted in his spot, his eyes drifting towards the floor. 

"I don't give a shit about yer sister! She could die out there for all I care!" 

Nikki flinched, her heart dropping at the harshness of his words as he smacked his hand against the floor. Nikki nearly regretted coming down her and showing this sort of kindness to the man.

With another sigh, Nikki brought her hand to her jacket pockets, feeling for the paper there. 

"Listen buddy, I didn't have to do this so I'd shut the fuck up if I were you." 

Nikki stated as she pulled the picture from her jacket pocket and set it on top of the sandwich she had in her other hand. Daryl's eyes shifted uncertainly now between the picture and Nikki's face. Nikki sighed and held them both towards the man. 

"Here, take it."

Daryl hesitated to grab the picture, knowing exactly what it would show. He could tell by the creases in it that it was the same exact one that he always had in his vest, as close to his heart as possible. Nikki wasn't surprised when she saw the picture after going through his things, it had actually brought a smile to her face. Judy's smile was wide and her pale skin seemed to be glowing as she laughed. Her long brown hair was splayed across Daryl's legs as she rested her head there, looking up at the man.

Daryl could remember the day easily. They were celebrating a good haul and had decided to drink a few. Judy being the light weight she was easily found herself intoxicated before Daryl and had apparently decided his lap looked like the best pillow in the world. 

Daryl grasped the picture carefully, bringing it close to his body as he looked it over. Nikki watched the sadness and anger contort his face, his brows furrowing. He wasn't sure how to feel about this whole situation. How long had Judy known Negan? Had she been playing them this whole time? Had she lied to him?

"Aren't ya a savior? Why are you doing this?" 

Daryl questioned as he slid the picture into the pocket of his sweatpants. Nikki rolled her eyes at the question.

"This isnt for-"

Before anything else could be said, Nikki heard the sound a door being opened. Nikki shot to her feet and backed out of the cell. She gave Daryl a simple nod before closing the door and latching it back shut. She quickly went the opposite way down the hall and turned the corner. She peaked back just for a moment to see Negan approaching Daryl's door and she instantly hoped by some powerful being that Daryl had already scarfed down that damn sandwich. 

\--- 

Hours away from the sanctuary and from Alexandria, Rick found himself sitting on the tail gate of a truck impatiently waiting. He wasn't sure what gave him the idea to bring Judy out on this run with him, but by now he was regretting it. 

"Fucking piece of shit! Dumb ass bag of bones!" 

Rick's eyes followed the woman in question as she kicked a walker she had just taken down. He watched the way her fists were clenched and her jaw was locked. She hadn't been taking care of herself for the past few days; her hair was pulled into a tangled bun on top of her head and he was almost certain she was wearing the same clothes as yesterday that were appearing slightly more baggier. Judy's chest rose and fell quickly as her assault came to a stop, her cheeks a dark red. 

"Judy." 

Rick's voice drew her back in, finally clearing Judy's teared vision up. She glanced over at the man in shock, seeing the look of worry painted across his face. She looked between the past dead walker and Rick as her breathing began to slow. 

"Are you alright?" 

Rick questioned as he jumped down from the tailgate. Judy brushed her hair out of her face with her hands as she took a deep breath. 

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright Rick." 

Rick took slow steps over to the woman until he was in front of her, looking her up and down just to be sure. Judy felt nauseous, her chest tightened. Ever since she had stepped outside of Alexandria's walls she had been in a state of fear and anger. Scared that Negan could be just around the corner and angry that she couldn't help Daryl. 

When they had come back that first day, people had been extremely angry when they heard the news. Some of them wanted her exiled and others had wanted her killed in the middle of the street. But Rick? Rick wanted her to stay. Rick had never been through the same thing, but he trusted Judy just as much as he trusted Daryl. Judy swallowed and blinked back tears.

"Rick-... I-... I didn't get to tell him. What if Negan kills him and I never got to tell him and-"

Judy gasped, the tears finally breaking through. Rick grabbed onto the women's shoulders and pulled her into his chest. He rested a hand on her head and another on her back as she broke down into tears.

"I'm sure he knows. We'll get him back though, alright? I promise we'll get Daryl back."

Rick whispered, feeling tears burning his own eyes. It was no secret that Daryl and Judy had feelings for one another, everyone seemed to know it but them and when Judy had realized it it was too late. Rick wondered if they would get the chance to tell each other.

The sound of a growl caused the two to break away from another and turn towards the walker approaching. Rick patted Judy on the shoulder and pulled his knife out, not giving her a chance to resume her assaults on anything dead that moved.

Once the walker was taken care of, Rick turned only to see Judy heading towardd the gas station they were currently stopped at. Rick hurried to join her side, knowing the woman wasn't in the right mindset to be doing this on her own. Rick followed Judy's gaze through the gas station windows, seeing the two dead bodies on the floor. It looked as if though they had been there a long while and as they both approached the door you could already smell the stench.

"In and out. I don't know what took those two out, but it wasnt walkers."

Rick stated as Judy stared at the W's engraved on their rotting foreheads. Her head tilted slightly in thought as she continued to stare. Where had she seen that before?

Who the hell did she know that carved W on their forehead?


	3. Chapter 3

Not even twenty-four hours later, the saviors found themselves standing within the gates of Alexandria. Nikki stood among them, her dark blue eyes surveying the area. She was honestly surprised to see so much life inside the gates; from people watering crops to some guys playing catch in the distance. Nikki let out a deep breath, it was no wonder the Alexandrians were so protective over their home. The place was actually rather nice looking compared to the concrete walls of the Sanctuary. 

Despite the initial surprise of Alexandria, Nikki could feel that same fear she felt the night before creeping back up on her. It was as if someone had rested their ice cold hands on her shoulders as her eyes shifted to Negan's back. Negan was nonchalantly speaking to Rick at the moment, but she was sure Rick Grimes was considering his options by the way he kept shifting Lucille between hands.

Nikki tore her eyes away from Negan's back as he began to rant off to Rick and looked towards her sister that was quickly approaching from a house down the street. Nikki only seemed to notice then how different her sister actually looked since the last time she had seen her. Not only the way she looked had changed, but the way she even carried herself showed just how much she had gone through over the last few years.

Judy's heart was racing by the time she reached the large group, her gaze immediately going to the man standing off to the side in filthy clothes that had a large A written on the sweater. She also didn't fail to notice the bruises adorning his body or the way he attempted to look away from her. Her hands shook as she took a uncertain step towards him. Swallowing harshly before trying to speak.

"Daryl-"

"No. No. No."

Negan stated in a firm tone as he stepped over to block her view from the man. He raised two calloused fingers to point from her eyes to his own.

"I know you might have just missed our little chit-chat a second ago, but I'm willing to repeat. Keep your eyes on me so I know you're listening."

Judy's brows furrowed as she glanced at Rick in confusion and back at Negan. Her blue eyes only seemed to narrow as she met Negan's hazel ones. Nikki tensed as Negan leaned in towards her, his body shadowing over her small frame as he leaned into her ear. His breath fanning over Judy's already reddened cheeks.

"Talk to the man or even look his way again... I'll make you be the one to kill him."

Negan whispered just loud enough for Rick and Nikki to also hear. Judy's eyes widened at the perceived threat and she looked back at Negan's face as he pulled away with a wicked grin. Judy couldn't seem to stop her hands from trembling in that moment, unsure if it was from fear or the fact that she was getting ragingly pissed off by the second.

Nikki cringed as Negan rested his gloved hand on Judy's shoulder and turned towards the group, giving it a rough squeeze as he took a place beside her. Nikki could see the discomfort in Judy's face and in that moment, Nikki wished she could just take her out of there.

"All right, let's get this show on the road. See what kind of goodies you've got in the cupboard."

Rick stepped forward then and that's when Judy noticed the same barbed wire bat that was used to kill Abraham and Glenn in his hands. Before Rick could protest, Negan's eyes shifted over to Judy once more.

"Let's start with that, sweetheart."

Judy's eyes followed his gaze towards her neck, her body seeming to freeze as she looked at the two rings tangling from her necklace. Judy immediately yanked herself away from Negan, her hand protectively going over the rings.

"No."

She stated firmly, causing Nikki to take a step forward in worry. Negan's grin slipped from his face and his eyes seemed to darken at the resistance. While his eyes remained cold, he chuckled.

"You don't learn shit, do you? Arat, take out his kneecaps."

Before Nikki could even think to intervene, Judy cried out for Arat to stop as she was quick to stand between Daryl and Arat. 

"Here, you son of a bitch! Fucking take them!"

Judy shouted as tears stung at her eyes. Ripping the chain from around her neck, she held it out towards Negan. Nikki watched in amazement, if Judy was willing up to give up her mother's rings for this man then he must have mean't a lot. Nikki jumped in her spot as she realized Negan spoke her name and was now looking right at her. Nikki looked between the two in confusion, what the fuck was he- Oh. He wanted her to be the one to take them.

"There we go."

Negan said as Nikki took the few steps to get over to Judy. Judy's eyes faltered to the ground, unable to look at Nikki as she felt the gold chain being removed from her grasp. Nikki let out a shaky sigh as she put the chain into her jacket pocket. Fuck, if this was the sort of things they were taking, the Alexandrians were going to be in one hell of a panty twist.

\---

When they were gone, Judy sat on her porch steps, staring at the street with a blank gaze. Her mind was racing and her hand absentmindedly rested where her rings had been.

Why hadn't Negan let her talk to Daryl? Why did Negan make Nikki take her rings from her? Why was all of this happening just as things were starting to get good for them?

Judy's jaw clenched in anger the more she thought of it, the sickening way Negan had smirked at her. Almost as if he had been mocking her obvious distress. She let out a low growl, slamming her hands down on the porch. 

"Jeez, you're going to get wrinkles making that face." 

A familiar voice joked as they approached. Judy glanced up as Aaron took a seat next to her on the porch steps with a grunt. He rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder, almost in the exact spot Negan had rested his. Judy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, frustrated tears falling down her cheeks. She angrily wiped them away with the sleeves of her hoodie, hating the fact that Negan had been the one to make her cry. 

"You wanna talk about it?" 

He questioned as he chose to lean back against the stairs. A broken chuckle came from Judy's lips and she looked over at the man. She stared at him for a silent moment before shaking her head and glancing back towards the street. Aaron was honestly worried for his friend, he knew she wasn't hardly eating, let alone sleeping. He had been watching out for her the past few days; noticing the little things. How she always was declining her meals now and how her lights were constantly on at night in the spare bedroom he let her sleep in. Aaron glanced back towards the front door, noticing her backpack from that night still resting there. 

"Have you tried to go in yet?" 

He whispered as he sadly looked back at the woman. She turned just enough to look back at the door, her eyes going straight towards the hand prints on glass panes of it.

"No. No, I haven't. Honestly contemplated burning it all down." 

\---

That night Nikki stepped out of the shower area with a towel wrapped around her, just having freshened up from the day. She glanced down both ways of the hall before quickly walking down a few paces to her door where she hurriedly rushed inside. She let out a sigh of relief when she clicked the door shut, grateful that most people had gone to bed already and she hadn't had to avoid them in the halls. She allowed the towel to drop by the door and stepped over to her bed where she had laid out clothes just before she went into shower. After feeling around for a moment, she finally located the knob to turn on her light. Just as the light hit the room around her, it also hit the man laying across her bed with his arms behind his head. Nikki let out a yelp, her hands instinctively going to cover her private areas.

Negan laughed at the woman's reaction, his head tilting back as he did so. Nikki quickly ripped her clothes out from underneath his boots and started to throw them on as he began to sit up. Negan's eyes shifted over her body ever so slowly as she hurried to dress herself, something that only seemed to frustrate Nikki more than she already was. 

"What's the rush sweetheart?" 

Negan questioned with a small tilt of his head as Nikki crossed her arms over her chest and glared him down. Choosing to ignore the question, Nikki took a quick glance around her room to see if anything was moved. 

"Why are you here? In my room?" 

Nikki questioned with a shrug of her shoulders. Negan's brows furrowed then and he seemed to think for a moment before speaking. 

"Well, sweetheart, you haven't been coming to mine ever since that whole shit show, so-" 

He gestured around him with his arms, 

"I came to yours." 

Nikki scoffed, now shifting from foot to foot. 

"Did you ever think I didn't want to see you and that's why I didn't come to your room? 

Nikki questioned, her nails digging into her arms as Negan's face seemed to contort to one of anger. His hazel eyes glared her down as he rose to his feet, not much taller than herself. He stood directly in front of her, his chest puffing out as it always did when he was getting defensive. Before he could say anything, Nikki continued.

"I'm not one of your fucking wives, Negan. I don't have to come when you call!" 

She stated as she quickly approached her door. 

"You're turning into something... It's as if I don't even know you anymore, Negan." 

Negan watched as she turned the handle of her door and pulled it open, her eyes faltering to the floor beneath her. Nikki couldn't bear to look at him, fear and anxiety getting the best of her. Had she really just said that? Had she- Her thoughts paused as Negan's boots came into view, stopping directly in front of her. Negan seemed to pause for a moment in front of her before simply turning and walking out the door. Nikki looked up after a seconds, only to find an empty hallway outside of her room. 

It was then that the tears seemed to come, sneaking up on her unexpectedly. Nikki couldn't even remember the last time she had cried as she pushed her door shut, twisting the lock into place. She hadn't lied to him, the man Negan was now wasn't the one she had fallen in love with in secret. It hadn't been that long ago and yet... It felt as if though it had been ages ago. Collapsing against her door, Nikki brought the back of her hand to her mouth as she let out a broken sob. 

Nikki had never imagined when she met him she would ever fall in love with Negan or that he would ever return the feelings, but they had and at the time it had been a wonderful thing even with everything going to hell around them. 

Nikki gasped as she continued to sob, quickly running out of breath. She found herself crawling across the floor towards her nightstand, ripping open the drawer so that she could look for her inhaler that she used in moments like these. 

Her body froze as her eyes landed on the bracelet resting in her drawer, completely forgetting about the need to breathe as the bracelet seemed to mock her tears. With a shaky hand, Nikki reached inside the drawer and pulled it out, bringing it into the light. 

'Bitch'


	4. Chapter 4

"Fucking snow!" 

Nikki shouted as she dragged her feet through the white pile beneath her. It had been snowing the past two days and by now the snow had reached her knees. Of course it had come at the worse time too, just when she needed more supplies. 

"Too cold for this bullshit." 

She mumbled as she came into the town she had scouted out just a few days prior to the snowstorm. Her blue eyes glanced up from the snow to the town, scanning from left to right. She noticed a few walkers here and there, but other than that it seemed clear. With her arms crossed, Nikki continued on the trail until she reached the first store. 

Only when she reached the door did she pull out her knife from her pocket, holding it up as she tapped the door with her other hand. She stared into the darkness of the store, listening for the sound of dragging feet. When she heard nothing, she lowered her weapon to her side. 

Without another comment under her breath, she stepped inside the store, making sure to shut the door good behind her. Exchanging her weapon for the flashlight in her pocket, Nikki flicked it on. She instantly noticed the cans towards the back of the store along the wall, looking untouched though the shelves around them were knocked over. Nikki took care to look down each aisle as she hurried to the back, making sure there were indeed no walkers in the store with her. 

Approaching the back shelf, she smiled to herself as she grabbed the first unopened can. Peaches. With a small noise of victory, she peeled her bag from her back. Dropping by her feet, she unzipped it just enough to stuff the can through. She continued along the shelf, making sure to grab each can. The more she stuffed in her bag, the more she grinned. Maybe she wouldn't have to search all the stores after all. 

A short while later, Nikki had finally finished clearing the shelves. Her bag now seemed like it had a weight in it as she carried it, her shoulders slightly drooping under the weight. She brought her weapon back out as she opened the door, only to be met with the sound of voices. Her eyes widened and her head snapped in the direction of them. Upon first look she noticed there was three different vehicles and several men. Upon second look though, she noticed the guns in their hands. Nikki cursed and quickly backed up into the store, accidentally letting the door shut a little too loud.

Knowing that they had probably heard the door, Nikki began to sprint towards the back of the store. Thankfully she had scouted the place out enough to know that this particular store had a back door. She quickly burst through it, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked both ways down the alley. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Nikki took off to the right as she heard footsteps enter the store behind her. 

Nikki's backpack slammed against her back with every step, the cans knocking against her spine through the cloth. Sweat began to accumulate on her forehead as she ran, turning down corner after corner. How fucking long was this alley? She wondered as she took a moment to catch her breath. But the break didn't last long as she heard a deep voice yell for her to stop. Nikki took off again, pushing through it as her legs began to yell at her for so much movement. There was no way she was going to be caught, not after the last group she had had to deal with that had literal been eating human flesh. 

Nikki smiled as she approached the end of the alley, seeing the woods in the distance that she knew she could lose the men in. Just as she hit the end of the alley though, she was hit by something hard enough to knock her back on her ass. She grunted as she landed on the snow covered concrete, her bag slipping down her arms. Nikki glanced up at the object of offense, only to freeze in her spot. 

A man stood above her, his hazel eyes glaring her down as he pointed a barbed wire covered bat in her direction. Nikki raised her hands up, trying to show the man that she mean't no harm to him. The man looked her over once, his eyes even shifting to the bag once. 

"Well what do we have here?" 

He questioned as he lowered the bat down to his side. Nikki's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the man, was he really talking to himself? Nikki glanced behind her just in time to see three men running up on them. Oh, so he was talking to them. 

"You out here by yourself?" 

He questioned, drawing her attention back to his tall frame though he seemed as though he wasn't much taller than her. Nikki only nodded, almost worried that if she spoke he would swing that bat at her. The man smirked then and kneeled down to her level, making sure their eye contact lined up.

"The name's Negan. What's yours?" 

He asked as he held out a gloved hand towards her. Nikki looked between his hand and his face for a second, surprised that even with the man's appearance, he seemed nice. Nikki hesitantly placed her hand in his, to which he pulled her up to her feet. Nikki was even more surprised when he picked up her bag and handed it over to her. 

"Thanks..." 

She stated as she shifted the bag onto one shoulder. She thought about it for a moment before speaking next. 

"My name's Nikki." 

The man smiled even wider at this and gave the guys behind her a quick wave. Nikki looked back once again to see the men drop their weapons that she hadn't even heard them draw. 

"By the look of that bag, you're looking for supplies, huh sweetheart?" 

Nikki scoffed at the nickname, glaring back at the man now. Sure he probably didn't mean any harm with the nickname, but by now she had learned not to trust someone just by their words. 

"Yeah, what about it?" 

She snarled, her knuckles turning white as she held onto her bag straps just a little tighter. Negan raised his weapon-free hand then as he shrugged, glancing away from her for but a moment. 

"I was just going to say if you were that we have a community. Got a lot of supplies too. Could use somebody like you." 

He stated as he offered her a small smile. Nikki scoffed and rolled her eyes at the man. 

"Somebody like me? You don't even know me dude." 

Negan chuckled at the woman's words, his eyes crinkling at their edges. Nikki watched as he brought his free hand up again, running it through his dark hair. She knew she wasn't wrong, for all this man knew she could have been an ax murderer who was just waiting for the perfect opportunity. Without another word, Negan brought his bat up to rest on his shoulder and he turned just enough that Nikki could step by him if she wanted to. 

Nikki seriously debated it for a moment, glancing between the man in front of her and the men standing behind her. Her head was telling her to run as fast as she could and never look back, but her gut was telling her that this man could somehow be trusted. Nikki sighed as she finally came to a conclusion with a shrug. 

"You said you had a community?" 

\---

Nikki blinked a few times, bringing herself out of the daydream that seemed to leave a fog over her mind. She could remember that day like it had been just yesterday, the first day she met Negan and the saviors. He was a lot different back then, they all were. If it had been now he probably would have punished her for running from them. Or maybe something even worse. 

"What were ya thinking about?" 

The southern accented voice nearly made her jump, her head turning towards the man sitting beside her. Daryl stared at her with a hard gaze, his mouth in a hard line as he did. Nikki let out a light hearted chuckle, she had almost forgotten that she had come down to check on the man. 

"Just something from a long time ago... Did you finish that sandwich?" 

She asked, looking around them for the empty bag. Daryl grunted in reply as he held out the plastic bag towards her, showing that it was indeed all gone. Nikki nodded as she took the bag from him and tucked it into her jacket pocket before she brought herself to her feet. Daryl's eyes followed her as she did, something she noticed he always did. He definitely was on high alert still. Though she didn't blame him, it had only been a few days, and not good ones either.

Nikki wasn't even sure why she kept coming down her to help the man at this point. She was on Negan's side still, no matter how fucked up the situation they were in was. But yet, after seeing her sister care so deeply for this broken man she couldn't bring herself to give up on him. 

"Are ya going back to Alexandria anytime soon?" 

Daryl questioned rather quietly, mumbling his words. Nikki's head tilted at the man, confusion written across her features. He surely wasn't asking her to take him back was he? Daryl let out a loud sigh and looked up at the woman, resting his arms on his bent knees. 

"Can you give Judy a message for me?" 

Nikki almost felt grateful that those were the words that had come from his mouth. She wasn't sure that she could handle anything else he might ask. 

"Sure thing dude, what's the message?" 

Nikki rested her hands on her hips as the man seemed to think of the right thing to see, biting on the inside of his cheek as he did so. Nikki waited patiently until he finally looked away from her. 

"Just tell 'er that I'll find her. No matter what happens. When I get out of here I'll find her." 

Nikki chuckled, raising an eyebrow at the man. 

"That's all you want me to tell her? That you'll find her?" 

She questioned with a chuckle. Daryl looked back at her then and Nikki's smile instantly fell from her face. She could see the doubt written across his face, the doubt that he would ever get out of here at this point. Her heart nearly broke for the man, yes he was the enemy, but he was just as human as they were. A human that wanted just wanted to go home. Nikki sighed and gave him a nod and a soft smile. 

"Yeah, I'll give her the message." 

Nikki turned then and cracked open the door, checking to make sure no one was around. When the coast was clear, she slipped outside of the door. Turning back to close the door, she saw Daryl still watching her. 

"Thank you." 

He muttered, his gaze falling back down to the concrete just as it had when she first opened the door. Nikki closed the door then with a sigh, the man may hate the saviors with a passion, but at least he knew manners. After clicking the lock back, Nikki silently made her way down the darkened halls. 

Nikki was just approaching the main staircase when she heard loud pops coming from outside. What the fuck? She thought as she turned her head to look out the staircase window. Her body tensed at the sight outside. The young boy from Alexandria stood inside their box truck with a weapon drawn, but on the receiving in stood the man she had yet to stop thinking about. Negan.


	5. Chapter 5

The last place Judy had expected to find herself today was the doctor's office. Or what they usually called the doctor's office, but was actually just a house they had made out to be like one. Something Alexandria seemed to do a lot to make some sort of normalcy through this whole thing. Judy's jaw was locked in place as she attempted to focus on anything else then what was actually happening at that moment.

"So, tell me again, how did you slice your hand open?" 

Tara asked as she pulled another suture through Judy's pale palm. Judy grunted and fought the urge to pull her hand away, silently cursing Tara in her head. Of course now of all days they wouldn't have any shots for the pain. Tara stopped for a moment and stared at the woman, waiting for an answer to her question. Judy let out a deep breath and looked over at Tara nonchalantly.

"Piece of glass." 

Tara nodded, 

"Yeah, I get that but how did you cut it on that piece of glass?" 

"Tara, just drop it. I don't want to talk about it."

Judy firmly stated as she looked towards the window. This wasn't something she wanted to talk about with Tara of all people. Yeah, she was friends with Tara, but they were by no means close. But she also didn't want to see the pity in her eyes when she admitted exactly how it had happened. How she had finally gone in the house that she and Daryl shared. How she had had a breakdown and broke nearly everything that was glass in it. And when she finally collapsed from exhaustion, cut her hand open on one of the broken pieces scattered across the floor.

Judy was sure that when she finally did reenter the house that it would be a hell of a mess to clean up, but for the moment she wasn't too worried about it. Pulling one more suture through and tying it off, Tara finally set down the supplies in the tray beside her.

"I know this is your fighting hand, so make sure you take it easy, okay? We'll take them out in a week or two." 

Judy rolled her eyes at Tara's orders and allowed the woman to wrap a bandage around her hand. Her sutures were by no means professional, zigzagging across her hand, but the would hold. Judy's eyes filtered over to the window as she taped the end, securing the bandage in place. Judy's body only seemed to tense when she saw the other person walking down the street. Before Tara could say anything else to Judy, she took off towards the door, throwing it open hard enough to smack against the wall with a thud. Judy ignored Tara as she called out to her, running towards the woman walking down the street away from her.

"Nikki!" 

She called out, causing the other woman to stop in her tracks. Nikki spun around just as the younger woman approached, noticing the way Judy clutched a bandaged hand to her chest. 

"What are you doing here? Is Negan here?" 

Judy asked quickly, nearly making Nikki's head spin by how fast she was talking. Nikki huffed out a breath and rested her hands on her bag straps. Now would be the perfect opportunity to tell her, she thought.

"Yeah, I was looking for you. Negan-... He's with Carl. But-" 

Judy's eyes widened at Nikki's words, with... Carl? Judy's heartbeat seemed to thud loudly in her ears and the world seemed to come to a screeching halt around her. Rick wasn't here. Rick was on a run, which mean't... Judy took off in the opposite direction without another thought, damn near sprinting to get to the house in question. Judy could tell Nikki was following her to the house by the way her bag jingled as she ran behind her.

Judy wasn't expecting to see a group huddled around a pool table when she approached though, something that threw her off guard as her eyes scanned around for Carl and Judith. Not being able to see past the group, Judy squeezed herself in between until she was at the front, her eyes landing on Negan just as he raised up from the table. Negan had noticed her approach and smirked, bringing the pool stick to his side. 

"Well there she is, come to play a round?" 

He sarcastically asked as Judy came to a stop by Spencer's side, who now looked questioningly suspicious by the way he was also holding a pool stick. Spencer seemed tense next to Judy as she crossed her arms. When Negan didn't get a reply from the woman, he shrugged his shoulders and continued.

"You know what's funny?" 

Negan questioned, his eyes roaming over the people around him. He easily noticed Nikki standing off to the side now, but his eyes quickly shifted away from her. 

"Now that she's here. You're scared shitless." 

Negan stated as he gestured between Spencer and Judy with his hand. Judy looked at Spencer in confusion, unsure as to what Negan was talking about. 

"Oh! He didn't tell you about his plan, did he?"

Negan called out rather loudly, making sure that all eyes were on him. Judy looked between the two men, her arms crossing over her chest. 

"He waited until you and Rick the prick was away to come and talk to me. He wanted me to do his dirty work and get rid of Rick!" 

Negan stated with a chuckle, watching as Judy looked to Spencer with wide eyes. She took a step away from him then, a mixture of anger and betrayal washing over her. She hardly talked to Spencer since they had come to Alexandria, but the realization of what kind of person he was seemed to hit her in that exact moment. A traitor. Judy watched as Negan continued to speak and approach Spencer, pulling something from his side as he did.

"You know why I think you did it... It's because-"

Negan leaned in towards Spencer then with a sickening grin, 

"You got no guts." 

The crowd gasped as Negan shoved the knife into Spencer's abdomen and ripped it across, causing his insides to spill out into his awaiting hands. Judy stepped back as blood splattered onto her clothes, her breath catching in her throat. 

Nikki watched as Spencer collapsed to the ground in front of Judy's feet, blood immediately beginning to pool around her shoes. She couldn't help the shaky breath that left her as Negan smiled and looked around the group once again after making a sick joke. Her stomach felt queasy as she watched Negan approach Judy, picking up Lucille on his way towards her. 

The two now stood over Spencer's body who was already long gone, both looking at one another. Negan snickered as he grabbed more towards the barbed wire portion of Lucille, offering Judy the handle of the bat. Nikki knew by the way Judy was looking at it that she would have never grabbed onto it. Well, that would have been the case if a gun shot didn't go off. 

Nikki raced forward as the two broke apart, the shot barely missing either of their faces by inches. Nikki threw herself at the woman who fired the shot, bringing her to the ground where Nikki held her down easily. 

"What the shit!?" 

Negan shouted as he approached the woman, pure anger rolling off of him in waves. 

"Shit! You just- You tried to kill me!?"

He roared out as he swung the bat once through the air, causing everyone to take a step back. The woman beneath Nikki glared at him, not daring to say a word as Nikki's grip on her tightened. Nikki glanced back as she heard Negan pick something up of the ground, only to see him hold a bullet casing between his fingers.

"What is this? This little bad boy made from scratch? Look at those crimps. This was homemade." 

Nikki noticed the way Negan was huffing as he spoke, almost as if he couldn't seem to catch his breath after nearly being shot. She almost wanted to beg the woman underneath her to just give it up as Negan continued, asking who had been the one to make the bullet. But by the way she was looking at them and making snide remarks, she wasn't going to give it up so easily.

"Arat, kill someone!" 

Nikki flinched as she heard Judy cry out through the mixture of voices, watching as a bullet pierced the girl with glasses standing on the porch next to Carl. Too close to the boy for Nikki's liking. Arat was ruthless and Nikki wouldn't have been surprised if she had killed Carl.

"Rick." 

Nikki's heart dropped in her chest as she heard the name come from her sister's mouth, not able to ignore the sobs that followed as the man came up to the group. Shit. This just was not the time.

\--- 

That night, Nikki had regretted ever thinking that everything was going to be okay once they got home. As soon as they had approached the gates, it had been a frenzy. Daryl had somehow gotten out and another one of their men was dead. Which lead Nikki to where she was now, cooped up in her room until Negan's wrath finally died down. 

Nikki sat on the edge of her bed with her hands folded together. How had he gotten out? Was there someone else here besides her that went down to see him? Had they just awaited the opportunity to arise to slide him those damn motorcycle keys? How had nobody been watching him? Nikki was tore from her thoughts by a solid knock at her door. Almost as if expecting the man somehow, she called out to him.

"What do you want, Negan?" 

She asked, not yet rising from her place on the bed. She listened for a moment to hear a reply, but only received another knock on the door that was softer this time. Nikki let out a irritated sigh and rose to her feet, making her way over to the door. With a quick unlatch of the lock, she opened it to see Negan patiently waiting outside her door, Lucille no where in sight and in his lounge clothes. 

"Everything okay, N-" 

Nikki was cut off as Negan threw his arms around her, hugging her to his chest. She was shocked at the sudden display of affection as he rested his chin on her shoulder. Nikki didn't say anything as she brought her arms around him, almost scared that he would change his mind and pull away if she did. 

"I almost got shot." 

He muttered to her, his stubble rubbing around her shoulder as he spoke. Nikki chuckled, easing into the embrace. 

"Yeah, you did." 

Negan pulled away from her just enough to be able to look at her face to face and Nikki could see how upset he was by the way his forehead creased. 

"He killed Fat Joey." 

Nikki only nodded sadly in reply. She didn't really know the man too well besides what she had heard from Negan, but she could tell that this one was actually affecting him. 

"I'm sorry." 

She murmured as she brought a hand up to rest on his cheek. He leaned into the touch, closing his eyes for a moment. Nikki smiled at it, they hadn't had this connection since... Her thumb froze on his cheek and her body tensed underneath his grip. His eyes opened at this and quickly went to hers in confusion. 

"What-" 

Nikki yanked away from the man as if his touch had been burning her. Tears nearly came to her eyes as the memories of that night came flooding back in, the sound of squelching flesh echoing in her ears. 

"Get out."


	6. Chapter 6

Tck. Tck. Tck. 

Judy's blue eyes shifted up towards the clock at the back of the classroom. Ten minutes. Fuck. She thought as she looked over the students sitting in front of her. Each of them seemed buried in their work, paying no mind to their teacher. Judy stopped tapping her pen on the desk, pausing with it between her fingers. 

Ding. 

A few students glanced up at the noise, but looked away when they noticed Judy pulling her phone from her suit pant's pocket. A small grin came across her face at the name displayed across the screen. Negan. She didn't hesitate to unlock her phone, clicking on the message straight away. 

'Your class looks boring as shit.'

Judy's brows furrowed in confusion and she chuckled. She typed out a simple reply back, three question marks showing her confusion. She continued to stare at the message for a moment, trying to understand. 

"Miss, may I use the restroom?" 

Judy's head tilted up in surprise, not having heard the young male student approach her desk. She let out a small laugh and glanced behind him. 

"You've only got eight minutes left, Johnson." 

The student let out a sigh and rolled his eyes as he turned to return his seat. Judy only shook her head at the student, shrugging off his attitude. 

'Look outside.'

Judy's eyebrows lifted at the new message and she quickly turned her head to look out their classroom windows. She nearly jumped when she saw Negan standing there with a smirk on his face as he gave her a soft wave to come on. Judy looked between him and her class, until finally settling back on him. She brought a hand to her watch on her opposite wrist, tapping it as a signal. 

Negan only rolled his eyes at this, a smile crossing his lips. He held up a finger before going back to typing on his phone. Judy waited for only seconds before the new message popped up.

'Just dismiss them early.'

Judy thought about it for a moment, looking at the clock and back at her phone. Finally, she stood and clapped her hands together to draw the students attention to her. Several eyes immediately went to her, watching for instructions. 

"You're dismissed. Don't say I never gave you anything." 

Judy remarked, waving them off. The students didn't hesitate to grab their things and make a run for it, shuffling out of the classroom with eager. Judy was quick to grab her things as well, shoving them down into her bag. 

In seconds she was rushing out of the door with a wide smile, speed walking down the hall. Thankfully her class was by the back exit, allowing her to slip outside without running into any other staff. Negan met her at the doors, standing at the base of the stairs patiently. Judy looked him over, noticing he was no longer wearing the suit that he had been earlier. 

"You're impatient, you do know that, right?" 

Judy questioned as she came down the stairs, her bag bumping her side the whole way. Negan snickered at the statement, his eyes crinkling at their edges. 

"Aren't you the one who asked me to help paint?" 

He questioned as he took her bag from her grasp, holding it for her as they began to walk towards her car. Judy threw her arms up in exaggeration with a huff of breath. 

"After class, yes." 

"Oh, come on, you had ten minutes left." 

He replied, giving her a small shove with his arm. She giggled at the action, giving him a soft shove back. 

As they continued the trek to her car, Negan unclipped her keys from her bag, holding them in his free hand. Judy went straight to the passenger side, looking over at Negan as he unlocked the doors. 

"Remind me why I let you drive my car again?" 

She jokingly questioned, her eyes narrowing towards the man. After sitting her bag inside, Negan placed both hands on top of the roof. 

"I think you said, and I quote, 'we're the best-est of friends'" 

He said with a chuckle, causing Judy to let out a loud groan. She then pointed an accusing finger towards him. 

"I was drunk!" 

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that doll." 

\---

It didn't take the two long to get back to Judy's house where they immediately got to work painting her living room. By the time they were done it was dark out, the only thing lighting the streets were headlights of cars driving by. 

Judy sat next to Negan on the couch with a beer in her hand, picking at the edge of the wrapper with her finger. Negan let out a small sigh before bringing his own to his lips, taking a small swig of it. 

"So how is she?" 

Judy questioned, keeping her eyes on her bottle. She could hear Negan take in a deep breath, feeling him shift uncomfortably on the couch. Judy didn't say anything else as he set his beer on the coffee table before them, noticing the way his hand slightly shook. 

"They-" 

Judy nearly flinched at the strain in his voice. 

"They gave her a few months." 

Judy let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding, finally looking over at the man. Negan swallowed harshly, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. Judy gave him a soft reassuring smile, reaching over and resting her small hand over his larger one. 

"I know it doesn't feel like it. But, it'll be okay." 

She murmured, giving his hand a soft squeeze. Negan only nodded back, turning his hand just enough to squeeze hers back. Judy wished she could help the man, somehow fix everything that was going on, but all she could do there was to support her friend in desperate times. 

\---

Months later, Judy found herself sprinting down the hospital halls. Her sneakers squeaked as she slid around a corner, barely catching herself on the wall. She gasped for breath as she ran, hearing the shuffling feet behind her. The lights flickered along the hall, almost like they were matching every pant of breath. 

"Negan!" 

She called out, knowing that she was getting close. Judy tried to ignore the bodies laying on the floor, blood getting on her sneakers as she ran through. She kept her eyes forward as she approached the door, throwing it open hard enough to bring the man's eyes up to her. She spun around and shut the door, clicking the lock with shaky hands. 

"Judy?" 

Judy tensed at the sadness in the man's voice, her heart dropping in her chest. It was like the world slowed as she turned, seeming him standing next to the hospital bed holding his wife's hand. Her eyes shifted towards the woman in the bed, seeing just how pale her skin was and noticing that her chest had yet to rise and fall. 

"Negan..." 

She breathlessly whispered, approaching the bed quickly. Negan gasped as Judy took hold of his leather jacket, pulling him away from the bed harshly. His hazel eyes looked to her in confusion while he attempted to wipe the tears from his face. 

"How long?" 

She asked, looking between Negan's wife and him. Negan's head tilted slightly at this, looking at the woman as if she had lost her absolute mind. When she didn't get an answer, Judy took hold of his arms with desperation, her knuckles white. 

"Negan, how long has she been dead!?" 

Judy shouted, just as she heard thumps against the door. Negan watched in shock as the woman grabbed onto the couch by the window, dragging it from the wall and straight in front of the door. 

"I-I don't-"

"Negan, the dead is walking! Fucking walking! Now how long!?" 

Negan noticed the blood on her then, how it was scattered across her clothes like she had hit something. Widened eyes looked at her face then, seeing that sweat pouring off her pale skin. 

"Just a few min-" 

Everything seemed to halt as a groan was heard from the bed, drawing both of their attention to the woman sitting up in bed. Well, what once was a woman. Negan gasped, watching as his once dead wife began to stumble from the bed. 

Judy watched in shock as the woman fell from the bed, landing on the tile floor with a thud. The iv stand fell with her with a thud, causing the thumps on the door to grow louder. She only moved when Negan began to approach, quickly stopping him from getting close. 

"What are you doing? That's my wife!" 

Negan attempted to break away, accidentally shoving Judy to the ground where she let out a grunt from the impact. It didn't take her long to realize what had happened as she felt cold fingers grab onto her shirt. Her head spun to the intrusion, seeing Lucille's now white eyes looking right at her as her teeth clamped together. Judy let out a scream as she put her hands on her chest, holding her away as Lucille attempted to get her. 

Negan stood there in shock, helpless as he watched his wife attempt to bite Judy. By now, Judy's adrenaline was sky rocketing, her hands violently shaking as she held Lucille back with one and felt around with the other. Grabbing the first thing she could, Judy swung the object towards Lucille's head with a scream. 

As soon as the pressure was off, Judy scrambled to get on top of Lucille, pinning her underneath her as she raised the IV monitor above her head. With a moment's hesitation she brought it down, trying to drown out the noises it made with her own shouts as she repeatedly brought it down on Lucille's skull. 

Judy didn't stop until Lucille went still underneath her and her heartbeat continuously thumped in her ears. It was as if all noise was drowned out as she looked to Negan, seeing that the man's tears were no longer falling as he stared at her in shock. She could feel the splattered blood on her face as she threw down the monitor and brought her hoodie sleeve up to wipe it away, only to smear it across. 

"I'm sorry." 

She stated as she used the bed to help her to her feet. Her arms screamed in protest, not used to the brunt force she had to use. 

"I-... It's okay." 

Negan muttered, slowly nodding as if to reassure himself of this. Judy stepped over to him, attempting to draw his attention away from his wife's body on the floor. 

"We need to go." 

Negan only nodded at this, his lips pressed in a firm line as he looked towards the door and then the window. 

"How?" 

Judy looked around as his question, her gaze settling on the bed. Negan's eyes followed her as she went over and began ripping the sheets from the bed, throwing them into a pile as she began to dig through the bedside drawers for more. 

Negan snapped into action when a rather loud thud hit the door, enough to make the lock clink. His heart raced as he ripped open the closet door, taking the stack of sheets of the shelves. 

The next few moments the two seemed in sync with one another as they began to tie them together, making a sort of rope out of them. Judy was almost grateful then that Negan was a gym teacher and knew how to tie properly. Finally tying the end to the bed, Negan opened up the window. 

"You go first." 

Negan looked back at Judy then, concern on his features.

"Are you stupid, kid?"

He asked as he helped her to pull the bed over by the window. Judy picked up the make-shift rope, holding the opposite end towards him. 

"Negan, I'm smaller than you, you go first." 

The two stared at one another for a moment, thousands of unsaid words floating between them. With a final sigh, Negan grabbed the girl and brought her to him. Judy instantly found her arms wrapping around him, giving him a rough squeeze as if she would never see him again before releasing him. 

"I'll see you down there." 

Judy nodded and watched as he took hold of the end, his figure slowly disappearing out of the window. It was as if Judy was expecting what happened next. The opposing door to break open with walkers stumbling inside the room.

"Oh, fuck."


	7. Chapter 7

When Judy had been woken by Rick the next morning, she felt as if she had been hit by a train. Every single limb seemed to ache when she moved and mentally she was exhausted. But now, as she stood staring at the huge log wall before her, it felt as if weights were chained to her ankles. Judy honestly couldn't remember why she had decided to come with the group to Hilltop, she highly doubted Maggie even wanted to see her after what happened. 

Judy let out a shaky breath, taking a quick glance behind her. She debated running for a few seconds, wondering if she could possibly get away without the others noticing her escape. Judy didn't have time to think on it any further as the squeal of the gates brought her attention back to the front. Her body seemed to tense as the woman in question stood before the group. 

Judy's blue eyes watched as Rick rushed forward from his spot at the front of the group, hurrying to hug Maggie out of relief. Judy and the others filed in after him, catching the looks of a few of the Hilltop's people. Judy looked to the ground nervously, her mind racing with questions, but her mouth not finding the words. 

"You were right. Right from the start. You told us to get ready to fight. I didn't listen. I couldn't. But I can now."

With a nervous swallow, Judy looked up at the two. Maggie held a genuine smile on her face as she only nodded at Rick, patting his arm softly before turning towards the brick mansion to Judy's right. Rick's breathless chuckle caught her off guard, her gaze following his as well. 

Judy thought for a moment that she was dreaming. That maybe she hadn't woken up this morning and that this was just some fantasy she was living out. It wasn't until she took an intake of breath that it hit her. The realization that the man in front of her was actually standing there, looking right at her with a mixture of sadness and happiness written across his face. 

"Daryl."

She breathlessly whispered, her shoulders sagging in relief. It wasn't until tears began burning at the corners of her eyes did the two move towards each other, breaking out into a run. They met in the middle with an impact strong enough to lift Judy off the ground, bringing them chest to chest as he held her tightly against him. The man grunted at the impact, but refused to let go, clutching onto the woman as if it was his only lifeline. The group watched as Judy sobbed into the man's shirt while he tangled the strands of her hair between his fingers.

"You're okay. You're here."

Judy whispered into his neck. For once, she didn't mind the feeling of his stubble scratching her cheek, almost welcoming the feeling of it after everything. Daryl attempted to sooth the crying woman, shushing her as he noticed the others watching the two of them reunite. But he honestly couldn't give a damn about who was watching as he buried his face into her neck.

"You big idiot."

She muttered to him as he set her back onto the ground carefully, pulling away just enough to rest his forehead against her own. Judy nearly sighed at the feeling of his calloused hands finding their way to her face, his thumbs wiping away the tears from her red cheeks. Frustrated with the silence from the man, Judy lightly tapped him on the chest with an open palm.

"Not going to say anything, Dixon?"

She joked, receiving a light hearted chuckle in return. Daryl stood there with her for another moment before hesitantly pulling away, only for his eyes to scan her over. They paused for a moment on her wrapped hand before shooting up to hers in worry. Judy's brow furrowed in confusion until she realized what he was looking at. Realizing how bad it might have looked to him, she shook her head and rested a reassuring hand on his cheek. 

"It's just a cut." 

He let out an audible sigh and nodded, resting his hand over her own. Judy smiled, brushing his cheek lightly with her thumb.

"I'm glad you're back." 

\---

That night when the lights went out in the secured town of Alexandria, a familiar woman scaled over the side of the wall with ease. She dropped down with a light thud, her eyes scanning the dark streets. 

Nikki could see a few people walking about with flashlights as some sort of patrol, but noticed they kept to the streets mostly. With no time to waste, the woman turned and quickly made her way behind the houses. She didn't stop until she came to the one she knew to be Rick Grime's. Peaking around the corner of the house to make sure no one was walking by, she slowly walked beside the house until she could see both ways down the street. 

Seeing that the coast was clear, she hurried across the street and up the stairs of the gray house. Thankfully she had noticed the scrawled handwriting on a sign nailed to the door the last time they ventured into Alexandria. Judy's handwriting was easily recognizable and brought a small smile to Nikki's lips as she read the neatly scrawled 'Welcome'. Nikki wondered for a moment if she should knock, unsure if it was wise to just walk in. 

Looking up from the sign, Nikki glanced into the small window panes of the door. She noticed the broken glass scattered just inside the door, but couldn't see into the rest of the house. Almost worried something had happened, Nikki turned the knob to find it unlocked. She gently pushed it open, earning a small squeak from the door hinges. 

"Judy?" 

She whispered, carefully stepping into the house. The glass crunched underneath her black boots, almost seeming to echo through the house. 

Unsure where the light switches were, Nikki pulled the zippo lighter from her right jacket pocket and flicked it on. She gasped at the sight of the living room to her left. Furniture was tipped over and laid broken around the room. Personal items having been thrown about as well. What Nikki assumed was once a glass table sat broken, a picture frame laying face down through the center of it. 

Nikki quietly shut the front door behind her before stepping towards the living room, looking around as if she would find Judy in the center of it all. She wondered what had happened, but this just assured her that her sister was not here at the moment. 

"God damn, Judy." 

Nikki murmured to herself as she gently sat down her bag before stepping over the debris. Deciding to hide here until her sister returned, Nikki made her way to the picture frame surrounded by jagged pieces of glass. She could see drops of blood here and there and realized that this must have been what Judy injured her hand on when she saw her last. 

Kneeling down, she carefully picked the frame up out of the glass, turning it over in her palms. Her body tensed as she immediately recognized the people in the pictures. Three pictures were resting in designated places, each one taking Nikki's breath away. 

The first picture held a couple years younger Judy with a great big smile plastered on her face, a school hoodie adorning her body. What bothered her more was the man in sweatpants and jacket standing next to her with one arm wrapped around her shoulders and another holding a baseball bat down at his side. The corner of Nikki's mouth twitched as she saw his smile easily matched Judy's and in that moment Nikki realized just how much Negan had meant to Judy at one point.

With a light shake of her head, she looked over to the next picture. The picture was slightly blurry but she could make out Daryl and Judy who stood on this house's porch steps, smiling at the person taking the picture. 

Just before Nikki could look more at the next picture, she heard a crunch of glass behind her. She spun around just in time to feel the blunt object hitting her in the side of the head. The last thing she remembered was hitting the ground, feeling the glass digging into her body before it went completely dark. 

\---

The next morning Judy returned back to the sanctuary before everyone else, not wanting things to be suspicious if Negan turned up and she wasn't there when Daryl had coincidentally escaped. Her thoughts were swarming with the kingdom and Daryl. What if the kingdom continued to refuse an agreement, would they even be able to take on the saviors with the people they had now? She doubted it. 

Her brows were furrowed as she entered Alexandria, only to be greeted by a distraught Aaron rushing up to her. Worry came over her as she saw the grateful look in his eye at her return, but the distress written across his features. 

"Aaron, what's wrong?" 

She asked as he took hold of her upper arm and began pulling her along. 

"Two things. One, Gabriel took off with the food and a car. Wasn't at his post this morning." 

"He what!?" 

Judy nearly seethed, her eyes narrowing at the man as they continued to trek down the street. Aaron pulled her with a jerk towards a building, the one Judy knew had the cell built underneath. 

"Why are we-" 

"Second, your sister decided to pay a visit last night. Gave me a hell of a surprise when I saw her sneak into your house." 

Judy's blood ran cold at his statement. Nikki? Here? Why? Not needing Aaron to go into further explanation, Judy hurried ahead and down the steps. Thankfully the two doors down to the cell was unlocked and she stepped in quickly. 

Nikki glanced up from the concrete at the sound of the door, her eyes landing on Judy as she walked into her line of sight. 

"What the hell are you doing here by yourself? Where's the saviors?" 

Judy questioned, approaching the iron bars with haste. Nikki sighed and with a roll of her eyes, stood up. She approached the bars as well, standing just opposite of her sister. 

"I only came to talk to you. I'm sure they haven't even realized I'm gone yet." 

Judy scoffed, throwing her arms up at her sides dramatically. 

"Oh yes, because Negan wouldn't notice one of his precious Saviors going missing." 

Nikki only just opened her mouth to retort back when she heard an all too familiar rumble in the distance. Both of the girls heads snapped towards the window looking up into the street, almost as if they had expected to see the trucks rolling in already. 

Nikki was quick to reach for Judy between the bars, grabbing hold of the front of her shirt. She pulled her against the bars, causing Judy's eyes to widen. 

"Whatever you do. Do not tell them I'm here. If Negan finds out I came on my own accord or that..." 

Nikki shook her head. 

"If he thinks your people took me, there will be hell to pay." 

Judy only nodded in reply before Nikki released her, gesturing with a nod of her head for her to go. 

"I'll be back as soon as I can." 

Judy reassured before disappearing once more. Nikki scrambled down into the corner of the cell by the window, attempting to hide herself underneath so that if they were to look in they wouldn't find her there. Her heart hammered in her chest as she heard the gates squeal open and heard three different engines get closer until finally it went silent. 

Nikki really hadn't thought Negan would come looking for Daryl this soon, but of course this would have been the first place he stopped when he did. Nikki breathed deeply, leaning her head back against the concrete. 

Hopefully finding her here would be like finding a needle in a haystack.


End file.
